The stars of the 2017 Geneva motor show

Power and glamour were on show in Switzerland this week.

The stars of the 2017 Geneva motor show

08 Mar 2017Drive Staff

Geneva is the home of the supercar.

They are a common sight on the streets of the picturesque Swiss city. So it makes sense that the annual Geneva motor show is the place where the supercar makers of the world - both big and small - come to show off their latest creations.

The 2017 edition of the show was no different with the biggest names, including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, unveiling new metal. While at the same time there were plenty of smaller, boutique supercar brands on show, such as Koeingsegg, Fittipaldi, Scuderia Cameron Glickhaus, to name a few.

Non-millionaires are also catered for at the Geneva show with some important mainstream models revealed to the public for the first time. Notably for Australians, Geneva 2017 marked the first motor show appearance of the Opel Insignia, the car that will wear the Holden Commodore badge down under.

But the supercars are the stars, so here are our pick of the best.

Ferrari 812 Superfast​

Photo: Cyril Zingaro

The aptly named 812 Superfast is an evolution of the brand's well-regarded F12 Berlinetta coupe and F12tdf spinoff. It blends Ferrari's classic front-mounted V12 engine layout with cutting-edge tech that should make it one of the most remarkable cars on the road.

Under the bonnest is a 6.5-litre V12 that produces 588kW of power at 8500rpm, as well as 718Nm of torque. That's more than double the power of the latest Porsche 911, 43kW more than the outgoing F12 Berlinetta and 44kW more than the new Lamborghini Aventador S.

The Superfast offers an updated version of the four-wheel-steer "Virtual Short Wheelbase" system originally offered in the F12tdf, along with a fresh take on Ferrari's Side Slip Control suite of traction and stability systems.

Coupled with a new electronic power steering system, Ferrari says the result is a car that is "easier to handle and even more thrilling to exploit", which sounds promising.

Inside there are a few changes in the cabin including a new steering wheel, instrument clusters and driver controls. Ferrari says it has updated the car's infotainment system while resculpting the dashboard to offer a more sophisticated look.

McLaren 720S

After months of teasing the British supercar maker finally unveiled its new Ferrari 488 rival.

The 720S is an more than an evolution of the car it replaces, the 650S, as every aspect has been examined and reworked for improved performance.

The new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 offers massive 537kW and 770Nm outputs that help it reach the old 400 metre milestone in 10.3 seconds, making it one of the fastest-accelerating cars sold in Australia. That power travels to the rear wheels through a reworked seven-speed 'seamless shift' dual-clutch automatic transmission that promises to be sharper than before.

There's no hybrid tech here – that's sure to arrive in a successor to the P1 'ultimate series' – and the car is only available as a coupe for now. But you can bank on a convertible arriving in around 12 months' time.

However, its body is the result of pure science as efficient aerodynamics have crafted much of its dramatic new bodywork.

The two-seater cabin is just as theatrical with an instrument panel that folds away in race mode plus the latest in connectivity, but it is also reasomably spacious (for a supercar) with excellent vision and improved entry and egress through wider-opening doors and smaller side sills.

McLaren is confident that the new 720S will offer the best balance of ride and handling of any car in its class.

Much of that comes down to what the brand calls Proactive Chassis Control 2.0, a system that continues to go without fixed metal anti-roll bars standard in almost every performance car in favour of hydraulic fluid that can be pumped from corner to corner, making the suspension instantly stiff or supple as required.

The 720S is available to order now, with Australian deliveries likely to start in the second half of 2017.

Porsche 911 GT3

The manual gearbox is not dead yet.

Following the sell-out success of the pure focused Porsche 911 R, the German brand will, for the first time, offer its most hard core machine, the 911 GT3, with a choice of either a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.

Previously, Porsche has only offered its GT variants with one type of transmission. Up until this car's predecessor, the GT3 was only ever available with a conventional three-pedal layout, but then the German brand controversially flipped its policy and offered the most recent GT3 with a PDK automatic due to the fact it was quicker and more efficient and therefore extracted the best performance from the closest model it has to a race car with numberplates.

Now, customers have a choice.

Revealed at the 2017 Geneva motor show, the mid-life facelift for the Type 991 series not only has the option of different transmissions but brings more power, upgraded handling and improved aerodynamics to the last remaining variant of Porsche's iconic coupe to be powered by a naturally-aspirated engine.

The track-focused model, which literally forms the basis of the 911 Carrera Cup racer, is now powered by the 4.0-litre horizontally-opposed six cylinder that has previously been reserved for the higher-spec, and limited edition, GT3 RS models. In the new, regular (if you can call it that) GT3, it produces 368kW of power - up from 350kW in the previous model with its 3.8-litre motor - and can propel it from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds when equipped with the self-shifting PDK transmission.

Elsewhere, Porsche claims it has redesigned the GT3's chassis and further enhanced its rear-wheel steering system for even sharper road holding and improved its aerodynamics with a new front bumper that has been optimised for better airflow and a new rear wing and diffuser that work in harmony to produce additional downforce across the rear axle.

The latest 911 GT3 will cost from $327,100 (plus on-road costs) when it arrives in Australia showrooms before the end of the year.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante​

Photo: MARTIAL TREZZINI

Meet Lamborghini's most potent car to date.

This is the Huracan Performante, the recently crowned king of the Nurburgring Nordschleife - the unofficial benchmark for the fastest cars in the world - with a 6m52s lap time, beating the record previously held by the Porsche 918 Spyder.

The company took a holistic approach to improving the Huracan, adding more power and torque, using more lightweight materials and redesigning the aerodynamics.

"This new car represents the powerhouse of Lamborghini DNA and innovation, and a 360 degree approach to creating class-leading super sports cars. It illustrates the pinnacle of Lamborghini V10 production car performance to date, on both track and road, and is perfectly exemplified by its name: Lamborghini Huracan Performante."

The 5.2-litre V10 engine was reworked to lift power from 412kW to 470kW and torque from 560Nm to 600Nm.

Lamborghini managed to cut 40kg of weight from the car with greater use of its forged composite material.

The front and rear wings have been developed specifically for the Performante and feature the latest in active aerodynamic technology. Dubbed Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (or ALA, the Italian word for wing) the systems use flaps on both the front and the rear to open and close at speed depending on the conditions.

The flaps can open for greater cooling and more downforce but close when extra cooling isn't needed to reduce drag.

Lamborghini has also redesigned the suspension, making it stiffer by 10 per cent for improved responsiveness and road holding.

In addition to its Nurburgring record, Lamborghini claims the Performante can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in just 2.9 seconds and 0-200km/h in 8.9secs.

The Huracan Performante is due to arrive in Australia in the middle of 2017. It will be priced from $483,866 (plus on-road costs).

Mercedes-AMG GT Concept

Officially this is called a concept, but in reality this is a thinly-veiled look at the three-pointed star's new rival to the Porsche Panamera.

The uniquely styled, four seater has been conceived to compliment the company's existing two seat GT sportscar in what Tobias Moers, chairman of AMG, says will be an expanded range of dedicated AMG models to be offered alongside traditional performance variants of standard Mercedes-Benz models in future years.

"With the GT Concept we are giving a preview of our third completely autonomously developed sportscar, extending the AMG family to include a four door variant," says Moers.

At the heart of the fastback concept constructed to preview AMG's second dedicated production model is a new petrol-electric hybrid driveline developed in partnership with the German car maker's F1-linked High Performance division located in Brixworth, England and bearing the name of its newly created electric car division through its EQ Power designation.

The hybrid unit combines AMG's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine with an electric motor to deliver a combined system output Moers puts at "up to 600kW". This tops the output of the most powerful of AMG's existing models, the GT R, by 130kW.

The production version of the GT Concept is also planned to be offered exclusively with a further developed version of AMG's 4Matic+ four-wheel drive system offering torque vectoring on each wheel together with an integrated drift mode function. Power from the electric motor provides direct drive to the rear wheels. As well as providing primary power in electric mode, it also acts as a booster to compliment the reserves of the combustion engine.

The new family friendly AMG performance model, which stretches to just over five metres in length, is set arrive in showrooms about a year after the first deliveries of the company's range topping 745kW plus, F1 inspired, hybrid powered, hypercar.

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Drive Comments

Redwood | 09 Mar 2017 00:15

I guess you idiots were asleep when they uncovered the new RUF CTR? The first rear engined carbon fibre monocoque ever produced, styled around the original RUF Yellow Bird from the late 80s? Muppets.

ESSAREH Redwood | 10 Mar 2017 04:21

Wow. Idiots, muppets.. you obviously ran out of time to read further.. The RUF CTR news was right there under your pointed nose..
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/eight-wildest-cars-from-2017-geneva-motor-show-20170308-gutwtx.html#comments
The world has enough lazy trolls hiding behind their screens. Apology accepted.

Redwood ESSAREH | 12 Mar 2017 00:13

Ah yes, the error riddled article that originally specified the RUF running an AIR COOLED flat 6, which was hastily changed after my unpublished comment pointing this out. You seem a little touchy, perhaps a Fairfax employee??